Enoplognatha is a genus of comb-footed spiders first described by P. Pavesi in 1880.[3] They were characterized by both a large colulus and a subspherical abdomen, with males usually have enlarged chelicerae. It is considered a senior synonym of Symopagia.[2]
These spiders have a diverse lifestyle and make cob-webs under stones or ground debris while some specimens are sampled from vegetation where they build webs on, between and around leaves. The white egg sacs are deposited in the web.[4]
In South Africa, Theridion purcelli and Enoplognatha molesta were the most abundant theridiids found in citrus orchards in South Africa. In cotton fields, E. molesta was the most common species, followed by T. purcelli. In the laboratory, both species fed on red spider mites, the first three larval stages and adult stages of Helicoverpa armigera, leafhoppers and aphids.[4]
Description
female E. molesta with egg sacs
female E. molesta
male E. molesta
male E. molesta
Among the theridiids, they are medium to large sized. E. maricopa, a red-brown spider with a mottled purplish abdomen, has males that can reach a length of 3.4 millimetres (0.13in), while females typically reach 2.9 millimetres (0.11in). E. peruviana females can grow to 6.5 millimetres (0.26in) long, and female E. zapfeae can reach up to 9.2 millimetres (0.36in).[5]
Enoplognatha ovata(Clerck, 1757) – Europe, Turkey, Caucasus, Russia (Europe to Middle Siberia), Kazakhstan, Iran, Central Asia, Korea, Japan. Introduced to North America
1 2 3 Levi, H. W.; Levi, L. R. (1962). "The genera of the spider family Theridiidae". Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology. 127: 27.
↑ Pavesi, P. (1880). "Studi sugli Aracnidi africani. I. Aracnidi di Tunisia". Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Genova. 15: 283–388.
1 2 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Theridiidae of South Africa. Part 1 A-P. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p.23. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7515890.This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
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